De Occulta Philosophia
Volume III - Ceremonial Magic
by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim
translated and introduced by Paul Summers Young
(Volume III of the De Occulta Philosophia series)
Theirs is a spiritual body, but a tangible one, such that it may be cut; the wound will close like air or water, but they will still experience pain, and so fear the edge of any sword or bladed weapon. Virgil has his Sibyl warn Aeneus: Do thou go on thy way and draw thy sword.
Volume III reaches the summit of Agrippa’s system - the intellectual or supercelestial world - dealing with divine or ceremonial magic. Having surveyed nature and the heavens, Agrippa now turns to the realm of the soul, the angelic hierarchies, and God. He "commits the physical and celestial worlds to the protection of religion," asserting that only through religion and virtue can magic be kept free of impious or demonic influence. In particular, it is here Agrippa expands on the Kabbalah and the idea of union with the personal genius.
Agrippa hints at an arcane knowledge required to properly understand the work, which, he intimates, only the wise can discover by connecting the dots. He discusses ceremonial methods for performing magical rites, discusses prophecy and prophetic dreams, and emphasises the importance of the inward and outward preparation for practicing magic. Agrippa suggests that Ceremonial Magic is about becoming a vessel for personal revelation.
In this volume, Agrippa emphasises silent contemplation as the best form of prayer. His work hints at a more democratic approach to personal, transformative experiences of God or spiritual revelation. This text opens up discussions about the relationships between rediscovered Paganism, Renaissance Neoplatonism, the emergence of modern science and philosophy, and religious controversies of his time. Ceremonial Magic is an approach to understanding and experiencing the divine which is equal parts ecumenical and mystical.
About De Occulta Philosophia (Three Books of Occult Philosophy)
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy holds a longstanding fascination that has spanned centuries. This influential work explores various aspects of occult and mystical knowledge. The new translation from the Latin of the 1533 edition seeks to render this foundational text accessible to a broader and contemporary audience. The publication is divided into the three traditional volumes, as well as a fourth volume containing the apocryphal Fourth Book, along with additional magical texts either written by Agrippa or attributed to him. This comprehensive collection offers readers a deeper understanding of Agrippa's contributions to the world of occult philosophy and magic.
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Cover design by Alice Rocchetti.
Hardcover Edition
374 pages. Printed and bound in Italy. Hardcover bound in Wine-Red Fedrigoni Imitlin. 120 gram black Endpapers. Printed on 115 gsm wood-free, age-resistant Cream paper. Sewn book block, black ribbon bookmark and black Headbands. Gilding on front and back covers and spine.
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About the Author
The late Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486 – 1535) was a German Renaissance polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, knight, theologian, and occult writer.
Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy published in 1533 drew heavily upon Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. This work was widely influential among esotericists of the early modern period, and was condemned as heretical by the inquisitor of Cologne.
